Wednesday 3 December 2014

OUGD402 The Wolf of Wall Street, Stratton Oakmont Inc., Logo Design (Studio Brief One)

I am currently watching The Wolf of Wall Street, a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and in the movie he rebrands his company so that the target market of his business will be broader, and aimed at well established companies instead of small businesses. In the movie, he unveils the logo design for his new company, which really inspired me as the design for the logo is spot on for what he is trying to achieve. This is the new logo design that is used.



I looked into the logo design (which I originally thought would've been designed specifically for the movie) and I found out that it is actually a real company, which suprised me as I didn't know the movie was based on a true story. Stratton Oakmont was a Long Island, New York 'over-the-counter' brokerage house, that is mainly known for the defrauding of many shareholders, which eventually lead to the downfall of several executives and the closing of the firm. 

I think the logo looks incredibly trusting (and so must of a lot of big firms), for example the typography used is a serif font, which makes it looks like an old company with good values. Also the fact that a lion is the main logo, and lions generally represent strength and bravery. I also think the fact that the grid used behind the lion was incredibly slick, as it sort of looks like a stock market sheet, but also it is morphed so it looks like the Earth as well. Overall, I think the logo is incredibly successful and definitely portrays what the company apparently stood for. 


Tuesday 18 November 2014

OUGD402 Design Studio's, Study Task One (Studio Brief One)

In today's session, we went through studio brief one, and were told we need to update our blog regularly with inspiration, art and design. We were split into 5 groups and were given a design studio to research. We had to create a 3 minute presentation for the outcome, and only had 40 minutes to research and compress our information. My group was given the design studio Kontrastika, a design studio based in Slovenia. Below are the people that founded the company, and what they do to contribute to the design.

KljukcaMatjaž Tomažič
Graphic designer, illustrator and information architect
KljukcaMojca Janželj Tomažič
Graphic, textile, interior designer and photographer
KljukcaTomaž Jamnik
Assistant graphic designer

We then looked into the meaning of the logo. The logo apparently has a profound meaning from marketing, as well as sociological and religious meaning, however the meaning has yet to be revealed. It is going to be revealed on the brands 50th anniversary.



We also looked into the type of design that the studio creates. Personally, I'm not too fond of some of the branding as some are quite messy-looking and they don't really communicate a brand meaning, similar to the company's own logo - although maybe there is a reason for this? However, I really enjoy their graphic design as I think they're really expressive and aesthetically pleasing, although again don't really communicate a message. 


Some of the studios that the other groups looked at include Snask, Sagmeister and Walsh and Hey Studio.


Sunday 28 September 2014

OUGD402 Ice Breaker (Studio Brief One)

This week was induction week, in which we had multiple inductions, such as health and safety, computers, the library and eStudio. We also did some ice breakers, which were quite useful as we got to know a little bit about each person in our class. Below is the activity we were given on the last day of induction week, which was useful as it really got me thinking about the course and what is to come within the next 3 years.

Identify and explain 5 reasons why you chose to study on this course.

1. I think this course is very suited to me as a designer, but also as a person, as it is industry focused, which I think is really important as I believe live briefs and talks from current designers will be incredibly inspiring and informative, which I will definitely find useful when I have a full-time career.
2. I have been to visit Leeds before, however only briefly, however in that short time, I knew Leeds was definitely a city that I would love to live in. This was a key reason for me choosing this course, as I have been to Leeds Festival a couple of times and I love that it's so student-based.
3. This course will be really useful for me, as the class is really small, which means I will be able to have more tutor-time, which was really helpful when I did my Level 4 Art Foundation Diploma. 
4. It was also important to me that Leeds College of Art is a specialist college, as it means I have a lot in common with everyone around me. This is also reflected in my flat, as everyone has similar interests.
5. I think the location of Leeds was also really important when choosing the course, as I knew I didn't want to live too far from home, but I also didn't want to live too close. Leeds is the perfect distance, as I can travel back to Warrington easily.

Identify and explain 5 things that you want to learn during your time on the course.

1. During the course, I would really like to develop my skills on Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and maybe even Dreamweaver, although I am not sure if this would be taught, it'd be nice if I could try to teach myself.
2. I would also like to develop and perfect my own sense of style within Graphic Design, as I think at the moment there is a lot of design out there that is very similar.
3. I think it'd be really interesting and exciting to brand and actually make some packaging, as I branded packaging in Art Foundation, however I didn't get it printed professionally, I just made boxes and labels myself.
4. I'd find it really inspiring to meet multiple designers that are currently working within the industry, as I could get a feel for what my life is going to entail. 
5. I also think it'd be really great if I could participate in live briefs and maybe even get some of my work out there - I have got my work out in exhibitions and web layouts out there before, however I'd love to design logos and really focus on branding.

Identify and explain 5 things that you think are your strengths.

1. I think I am really good at blogging as I find it a lot easier to make my sentences flow, opposed to writing, which I often struggle with, as I can type a lot faster than I can write.
2. I am really good at managing my time efficiently, which will be incredibly helpful when I have deadlines, and also for getting to the university on time.
3. I am really hard-working and dedicated to achieving my best.
4. I think a strength of mine is definitely computer-based design, which is another reason that this course will be good for me, as I would love to develop and improve my drawing skills.
5. I am also really patient with my work, which is good when I work digitally, as I find using Illustrator quite a slow process.

Identify and explain 5 things that inspire you.

1. I think the obvious choice for this question is money, as that is a key reason why everyone goes to university - so that we can make more money by developing our skills and understanding of our desired specialism.
2. I am definitely inspired by upcoming Graphic Designers, such as Alana Dee Haynes.
3. I find that my friends definitely inspire me, such as my best friend Stephen Maycock, who only started Photography 3 years ago and has already become "Flickr famous" and had meetings with Flickr and multiple magazine interviews.
4. I think the thought of having an impact on someone's life is very inspiring.
5. I am also inspired by everything around me, such as packaging, branding, posters and layouts.